MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 COLLECTION, VOL. 5

Volume 5 of the now defunct cult TV show that someone once tagged as
pathetic because it's for people who don't have any friends (the net
effect of the show is like sitting in a cinema behind some people making
wisecracks right throughout the entire movie).

That may be true -
after all, the show does spare one bother of getting
some friends over to make fun of a bad video - but to be honest
most of
my friends aren't as funny as Mike and his 'bots (the guys making the wisecracks
here).

If you haven't seen any of the show's episodes, then this volume of four
episodes culled from the show's later years circa late 1990s on the Sci-Fi
Channel is as good a place as any other to begin (Volume
4 is also highly recommended) . Some long-time fans have expressed
disappointment that the DVD box set doesn't focus on the earlier shows
from the Comedy Channel years featuring Joel Hodgson instead of Mike
Nelson.

Apparently some of the episodes in this collection can still be caught on
the Sci-Fi Channel in the States, but for the rest of us any MST3K
(as the show is know to its fans) is always welcome since the European
version of the Sci-Fi Channel no longer carries the show.

Anyway, the movies being lampooned here are:

BOGGY CREEK II: THE LEGEND CONTINUES ? Atrociously bad nepotistic movie
(it stars the director's family!) which makes for a funnier episode than a
lot of MST3K on Amazon.com makes it out to be.

MERLIN'S MYSTICAL SHOP OF WONDERS - One of the funnier episodes. Two
horror short stories being dressed up as family entertainment. Whatever
you were expecting from that title, this movie isn't it!

THE TOUCH OF SATAN ? This bad 1970s ?horror? film with its long drawn-out
Painteresque pauses in dialogue drove me up the wall.

TIME CHASERS -
Bad early 1990s movie about a time travelling Cessna and the
most mundane cast imaginable ("the adventures of the average people,"
is
one of the quips made).

THE DISCS: Extras on the discs include an interview with show host
Mike Nelson and Kevin Murphy who were involved right from the show's very
start. Interesting for long-time MST3K fans. (By the way Mike Nelson
mentions THE GIRL IN GOLDEN BOOTS as one of his favorite episodes.) An
original trailer for THE TOUCH OF SATAN. No original versions of the
movies as was the case with Volume 1
though.

WORTH IT? Yes.

RECOMMENDATION: Newbies can start here or with
Volume 4 or better still,
Mystery Science Theater 3000 -
the Movie
(which is unfortunately very expensive to come by). States-side fans who
regularly see these episodes on TV might want to skip it though. So when
are they going to bring out PRINCE OF SPACE, one of my favorite episodes
on DVD then? (No, I don't have it on video either.)